The invention relates to a unique educational baby toy.
The ability of young children under six years old to learn through interaction with properly designed toys is increasingly recognized. The normal toys for this age group have been busy-boxes, activity centers, play gyms, mobiles, musical toys, stuffed animals and the like. While of some educational benefits, such devices fail to fully engage the intellectual capacities of such children and likewise fail to take advantage of the possibilities provided by inexpensive computers which have found their way into a wide variety of various electronic toys designed for older children and adults.
The present invention relates to a unique educational baby toy provided with a plurality of different colored lights which are well known to be very attractive to young children and babies. The lights are mounted on the upper surface of a housing which also is provided with a number of different switches. Preferably, each of the lamps has associated with it an adjacent switch which, when actuated by the child, illuminates that lamp under the control of a relatively simple computer for a fixed period, for example, two seconds. The lamps are arranged in a given pattern, preferably a matrix of rows and columns with a button also associated with each row, column and diagonal of the rows and column. Actuation of any of these buttons by the child causes sequential illumination of each of the lamps of that row, column or diagonal for a fixed time period. Finally, additional buttons are provided for causing illumination of each of the lamps in a given or random sequence.
In this fashion, the child is not only encouraged to improve his motor skills by the actuation of the various switches but also to learn the association between actuation of the various switches and illumination of the lamps which follow. The series of lamps provide increasingly abstract association so that the child readily advances intellectually without the frustration of being unable to achieve anything interesting or desirable.
A simple computer is preferably mounted in the housing, together with a battery for providing energy to the system. In addition, a horn or the like is also provided and is preferably sounded each time a button is actuated. The lamps are preferably push-button types which are recessed flush with the surface of each of the lamps which are similarly recessed.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings: